


call her love

by voidisa



Category: Digimon - All Media Types
Genre: Denial of Feelings, F/M, Falling In Love, Feelings, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Opposites Attract, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:48:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29794920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voidisa/pseuds/voidisa
Summary: A collection of (mostly) unrelated Joe/Mimi oneshots because I have a lot of feelings.
Relationships: Kido Jou | Joe Kido/Tachikawa Mimi
Kudos: 4





	1. Love Letters

**Author's Note:**

> I just finished all of Digimon: Adventure for the first time and I've got some leftover unresolved feelings to deal with. 
> 
> Joe/Mimi has got me feeling some type of way, and you can pry this rarepair from my cold, dead hands. 
> 
> I'm using names from the dub because it's all I know I'm sorry.

"Mimi, did you get my letter yesterday?" 

Her hands froze on the book she was pulling out of her locker. She was glad there was a door standing in between them; otherwise he would have seen the hesitation, the twitch of her mouth, the telltale signs of her nerves rising to the surface. She swallowed, immediately gaining her composure, and smoothed the pretty sundress she was wearing and stuffed her book in her bag. "Why, Joe, whatever do you mean? I get lots of letters on lots of days. Valentine's Day, most of all. You'll have to be a bit more specific." 

"Erm...uh…" 

He was fidgeting. Even with the door separating them, she could feel his anxiety. That's why she kept her head buried in her locker, hoping that at least that way it was _look_ like she was calm and composed. 

"Well?" she asked. 

"It was written on pink paper. Because I know that's your favorite. And there was a little red bow and a daisy pinned to the envelope too. Surely that rings a bell?" 

"Hmm…" She tapped her foot, pretending to think. Of course she knew the one. It had been the only one she was looking for yesterday. "Lots of letters arrived at my locker yesterday from lots of friends and admirers, and they all looked similar to that. I guess I'll just have to go home and check through my box I threw them all in." 

She could feel his heart breaking, his confidence wavering, and yet she couldn't stop herself from the ruse. He couldn't _know_ how much she'd treasured that letter, how long it had kept her up last night as she read it over and over, confirming what she already knew about their relationship. 

Joe had a crush on her. Naturally; who wouldn't? 

But she couldn't find it in her to admit she was crushing too. 

"I wrote it with that pen that you gave to me. The purple glitter one, remember? It was grape scented too. You really have no idea what I'm talking about?" 

"No, Joe, and frankly I don't understand why it's so important to you!" she exclaimed, slamming her locker shut and scowling at him. His cheeks tinged pink. "Unless you professed your undying love for me or something, and you're asking for my response?" 

He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, picking at a frayed string at the bottom of his sweater. "No, that's not it. I was just telling you how good of a friend you are, and...how good it was that we got to meet." 

"Did you compliment my hair?" 

"...I did."

"Hmm…" She rubbed her chin, again pretending to think, then shook her head, her strawberry blonde hair tumbling in waves over her shoulders. "Nope. Sorry. But I'm glad we're friends too, Joe." She smiled as convincingly as she could and touched his arm, a casual touch that could be misinterpreted as flirting if he wanted to go home and think about it for hours. She held his gaze for a second too long, and his expression softened. 

Joe chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly a nervous wreck, but Mimi kept her mouth shut. What had happened to blunt, sincere Mimi, the one that spoke her mind about everything? 

She'd become too afraid of her own feelings, that's what. Who knew something like this could happen to her, of all people? 

"Glad you had a good Valentine's Day, Mimi. I'll see you later."

She watched as he walked down the hallway and rounded the corner, then slowly, she opened the book in her hands where she had compressed the daisy for safekeeping. The letter was hidden behind pictures of her and her family so that no one else could see it, and the words belonged to her. Her, and only her. 

How romantic! She could almost quote it word for word. 

But of course, she couldn't let Joe know that. Because then there was something there between them, something that had been there a long time and something that she was too afraid to stare in the face. Something she had never thought she would be afraid of, ever. 

It was better for her to pretend.


	2. Purple Pen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am aware of how unpopular this ship is. However, I still love it.

The phone rang, and Joe immediately sprang up from the couch, tripping over the rug in his eagerness to answer the phone. Mimi and the others stared as he picked the phone up in his shaking hands, fumbling it like a football before finally managing to hold it to his ear and answer. 

He'd been on edge all afternoon. Something about an internship program or a training camp or something or other that he wanted to attend. A test would determine if he got in or not and, after taking the test, someone was supposed to call and give him his results. Or something. He'd been babbling so much it was hard to keep up. 

"You think he passed?" Izzy asked. 

"Probably. All he ever does is study," Tai replied. "But if he didn't, we'll never see Joe again. He'll be in over his head with tests." 

"Is that really such a bad thing?" Matt joked. "Never seeing Joe again?" 

They all laughed, but Mimi thought something inside of her might disappear if Joe happened to break away from the group. There was something between them, this unspoken bond that had formed during their time in the DigiWorld, and as she watched him on the phone, nodding and murmuring a "yes, sir," or a "no, sir," every once in a while, she found herself chewing on her nail. 

She _never_ chewed on her nails. What a disgusting habit! Plus, it meant that it would ruin her manicure. But if Joe didn't pass this test, he would only blame himself, and Tai was right: they would probably never see him again. 

"Password?" Joe said. "Right! Password! Hold on, let me get a pen." He snapped at his friends, holding his hand out for a pen, and they all dug through their bags looking for one, even though there was probably nothing there. Joe had been the only one doing homework, after all, and Izzy always used his computer. 

Mimi dipped her hand into her bag and pulled out a purple glitter pen that she used to take notes in class. If the subject was going to be boring, she could at least make her work look pretty. Joe stumbled over to her, hand outstretched for the pen, and for one brief second, his fingers brushed against hers, just a whisper of a touch, but they lingered for just a moment too long for it to be just a friendly mistake. Her eyes widened just slightly, a little gasp escaping from her mouth, and their gazes held for a second that felt like an eternity before he turned away, scribbling something on the back of his hand with her favorite glitter pen. 

She couldn't explain what happened to her, but it was like Biyomon had been released inside of her chest and was flapping around with no sense of direction. She felt breathless, and the more she dwelled on it, the more she realized that if it hadn't been such a hurried moment, she might have wanted to hold his hand. 

Joe's hand. Of all people! Sure, he was a good friend, but why was there any reason to think of it as anything more? 

He hung up the phone, then handed the pen back to Mimi. 

"Well?" Izzy asked. "Did you pass?" 

"Don't know. Have to log in to this website with the password he gave me." 

"Use my laptop." Izzy handed it over, and Joe nodded a thanks to him and began typing in the website. He was being unusually calm. Almost too calm. Joe was never this calm, always worrying about one thing or the other. 

"You can keep the pen," Mimi said, without even really thinking, and they all looked up at her as if she'd just grown an extra head. Joe was reading the purple glitter writing scrawled on his hand and typing away, but at her words, his eyebrows knitted in confusion, and he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. 

"What?" 

"For when you need a pen. You can keep my purple glitter one." 

"Oh. Okay. Thanks, Mimi." 

She could have kicked herself. She sounded so stupid! As if that stupid pen was on anyone's mind except hers right now, and only because she could still feel that ghost of a touch on her fingers. 

"So?" Sora asked, leaning forward. "Did you pass?" 

Joe held his breath as he scrolled. It seemed like they were all holding their breath. Then finally, his eyes widened his glasses, and he exhaled in relief. "I passed." 

There were cheers all around, and Tai and Sora even jumped up and hugged him, Tai holding him so tightly that he looked like he was going to burst. Mimi's eyes met Joe's over Tai's shoulder, and she offered him her most reassuring smile and a thumbs-up. 

And her pen. Her most favorite pen. It was his now. 

Like giving away a little piece of herself. The only piece she could bring herself to give him right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate that it took me so long to get into Digimon smh.


	3. Confessions

Mimi was asleep. Or, she appeared to be. The fire they'd built for warmth had been put out long ago, but still, the smoke curled up into the sky like tiny fingers reaching for freedom. 

Joe stayed awake. Not that there was any reason for him to; they had allies who were watching their backs, and he knew he was safe. But every time he glanced over at Mimi curled against the tree and using Palmon as a pillow, seeing the gentle rise and fall of her body with each breath, he shook himself back awake even though he was dead tired. 

Gomamon was on the verge of falling asleep on Joe's chest, but he kept himself awake for Joe's sake, to keep him some company even though they were both exhausted. When Gomamon looked up at him with half-closed eyes and yawned, he thought maybe it would be a good time to drift off, but he just couldn't. 

When he had left the group that day, he'd made a promise to himself that he was going to take care of her, to never leave her alone. And technically she wasn't alone, not with Palmon and their new friends, but he couldn't shake the weight of responsibility he had for her. 

"Mimi's pretty, isn't she?" Gomamon asked, startling Joe from his thoughts. He must have been looking at her again and hadn't even realized it. 

"Uh...no! I mean, of course she is, but why would --"

"No need to get so crazy, Joe. Just saying. She's really pretty." 

"...yeah." 

"And sweet too." 

"Yeah, she is." 

"She smells like flowers." 

Joe laughed a little. "Yeah, she does." 

Gomamon sighed, closing his eyes finally as he rested against Joe's chest. "I like Mimi. Don't you?" 

"And what is that supposed to mean?" 

Mimi grunted and shifted around in her sleep, and Joe watched her, making sure she wasn't going to wake. Gomamon didn't even bat an eye. 

After a few seconds, Gomamon said, "You're acting kind of strange. I just wanted to know if you liked Mimi." 

Joe let out a sigh, and it felt like it took a lot of weight off of him as he did. Mimi looked so peaceful in sleep, her head resting on Palmon, her strawberry blonde hair falling lightly over her eyes. 

"Yeah. I do." 

Maybe he should get some rest. They had a long road ahead of them. 

Closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep within minutes. 

And close by, Mimi buried her face against Palmon and hid her smile.


End file.
